Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, February 10,2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NCAA basketball:
Michigan State vs. Illinois
6 p.m., ESPN
Pac-lO's
equality
should be
beneficial
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
If you've heard or read anything about Pa
dfic-10 Conference basketball this season,
it's probably sounded something like this:
1) The teams are too soft.
2) The league is on a down year. It can't
compete with the likes of the Southeastern
or Atlantic Coast Conferences.
3) The Pac-10 will only get two teams
into the NCAA Tournament this season.
Answers: Wrong wrong and might just
be the case.
Welcome to the Pac-10, circa 2004.
There's Stanford, then there's everybody
else. Seems like a crapshoot for anybody
but the Cardinal.
Right?
mat s true, Dut an unfortunate reality
for the conference this season. Flat out,
there's just too much parity. When Califor
nia can defeat Arizona, only after the
Wildcats manhandled Oregon, which de
feated the Golden Bears, it's a sign.
It's a sign that, well, it's going to be a
down year for the conference in the NCAA
Tournament.
You can't necessarily argue that the
teams are too soft. They've gone 56-30
against Division I clubs this year, a 65.1
winning percentage. Of course, that record
comes with a 3-7 combined record against
the SEC and Big 12 Conference, but three
of those defeats — Oregon's losses to
> Kansas and Alabama and Arizona's defeat
at the hands of Florida — have been close.
So close, in fact, that a points swing of five
or more at any time of a game could have
meant the difference. Factor that in, and
that record shifts to 5-5 or 6-4.
It also can't necessarily be argued that
it's a down year for the Pac-10. A confer
ence is only as good as its bottom teams,
and in that regard, the Pac-10 is doing
somewhat poorly. Oregon State and Ari
zona State are the anchors. But they are
dangerous anchors.
Oregon State almost defeated the Ducks
on Saturday and the Sun Devils came
within two points of upsetting second
place California.
It's called parity, and that should be a
stopping point for the pundits who try to
rank the conferences. But, like above, it's
really a crapshoot to rank groups that have
anywhere from eight to 14 teams. Those
that try usually show inconsistencies in
their rankings.
That parity is exactly what's hurting the
Pac-10 teams this season. If Arizona can't
defeat Washington or Southern California,
how could it possibly defeat a team like
Utah or Air Force? That's a valid argument,
one that will be used against the Pac-10
when determining the postseason field.
Joe Lunardi, the man in charge of Brack
etology on ESPN.com, has only Stanford
and Arizona getting into the Big Dance.
Oregon is close; he lists the Ducks as one
of the last four teams excluded from the
field. California, one-half game ahead of
Turn to HAGER, page 9
Rookie road
Seattle rookie Luke Ridnour made
his return to Portland on Sunday
and received a warm welcome
'o hours before the game started and before any
fans had entered the Rose Garden, he was among his
A. teammates in die shoot around. He stayed on the
court for about an hour, practicing his mid-range jumper
and stretching out.
As he headed towards the locker room, he was bom
barded by several requests for autographs.
Seatde rookie Luke Ridnour took the time to sign each
one until all the young fans were satisfied.
"It's like that everywhere you go," he said.
Then just before game time, Ridnour went to chapel.
Part of Ridnour's routine is taking the time to write a
Bible scripture on the inside of his left forearm before
every game.
This time it was 1 Corinthians 10:31, which states, "So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God."
"He's got strong faith, both in himself and in his reli
gion, " veteran Seatde guard Brent Barry said of Ridnour.
At the start of the second quarter, the former Duck
stepped onto the court for his first return to Portland as a
professional athlete. As Ridnour stepped onto the floor,
an echo of "Luuuuuke" took the air that was eerily remi
niscent of McArthur Court.
"It's always good to hear the fans are still here," Ridnour
said after the game. "That's always exciting for me. I
haven't been gone that long, but just to know they're still
here, it's always fun."
Ridnour played 17 minutes for the SuperSonics in Port
land's 95-85 win on Sunday. He grabbed five rebounds
on the defensive end and had two points and two assists.
He's learning.
"It's too early to make a judgment on him," Seattle
head coach Nate McMillan said. "He has had some
good games and some games where he's struggled. You
expect that out of a first-year player. I like what I see
when he's on the floor. I'm comfortable with him be
ing out on the floor. It's just a matter of giving him an
opportunity to play."
Ridnour is averaging just less than 16 minutes a game
for a Seattle (24-26) team that is struggling in the playoff
race. It's a different lifestyle for the 2003 Pacific-10 Con
ference Player of the Year who helped lead Oregon to the
NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
"It's been tough," Ridnour said of being on the bench.
"The Lord has been teaching me things and keeping me
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
Turn to ROOKIE, page 9
Justin Best Everett Herald
Seattle rookie Luke Ridnour had two points, two assists and five rebounds in his 17 minutes against
Portland on Sunday. It was Ridnour’s first return to Portland as a professional.
__
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Jessica Shetters fouled out after playing six minutes Saturday.
Chaney provides problem
defensively for Shelters
Jessica Shetters can use Saturday’s
struggles against Oregon State’s
Brina Chaney as motivation to
improve defensively in her last games
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
Jessica Shetters was frustrated.
The 6-foot-6 Oregon freshman was trying
everything she could to slow Oregon State's
Brina Chaney Saturday, but it was to no
avail. The 6-foot-5 Beaver center had her way
with Shetters — and everyone else who tried
to defend her — to the tune of a career-high
31 points.
With 6:26 remaining in the second half,
Shetters' frustration peaked when she was
whistled for her fifth foul in six minutes.
Shetters reached out
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
and appeared to block
Chaney's shot attempt.
When the whistle
sounded, however, a
look of disgust and dis
belief covered the face of the Portland native
as she realized she had just fouled out.
Oregon head coach Bev Smith said rough
nights are just part of the maturing process that is
being a freshman in the Pacific-10 Conference.
"If you look at where Chaney was four
years ago as a freshman, I'm not sure that she
was that much further ahead of (where Shel
ters is now)," Smith said. "In fart, I think Jessie
has a little bit of a step on (Chaney).
"To get her to understand what it means to
play against a player who is 6-foot-5, and how
you can play, I think it's the best lesson that
Jessie can have."
For Shetters, the competition she faces in
the Pac-10 is light years ahead of what she
faced while playing for Portland's Wilson
High School.
"In high school, I didn't really play against
anyone close to my height," Shetters said.
"Playing against someone like Brina — she's
definitely a very good basketball player —
definitely inspires me to work harder."
In 18 games, Shetters is averaging 2.9 points
and 2.3 rebounds per contest.
Slow start
An all too familiar problem reared its ugly
Turn to STRUGGLES, page 10